We are all salespeople

I'm not a salesperson but I reckon I can sell anything....and I reckon most people are in the same boat, they just don't know it yet!

I know that we are "selling ourselves" all the time and I am not referring to that sort of sell here. I am talking about actually something (i.e. product and/or service) to a client in return for something (i.e. money). 

getting a job, a pay rise, a date or just selling something to earn a living - usually you are selling yourself

The absolute key and number 1 thing for me is having a real passion and believe in whatever I am selling. Here's when I realized I could sell anything, even as a software developer!

When we started Digital Motorworks in Australia back in 1999, a data & web services business, I brought technology and subject matter expertise to the table while my business partner brought sales and business experience to the table. 

We felt we had a good mix and most certainly his experience was a guiding light for me. 

Almost immediately we had a potential opportunity with one of the largest companies in Australia who were looking for something like our expertise. Because my business partner was living interstate at the time, I was front and centre with the client making sales pitch after pitch before moving on to negotiating a deal. These were things I hadn't been involved with before.

It wasn't a case of learning on the job; it was a case of just getting the job done - a multi year, multi million dollar contract within a few months of starting our business. Not only did it get the startup moving, it got me moving and gave me the confidence to tackle whatever came in front of us. 

What it showed me was that we are all salespeople when we want to be - getting a job, a pay rise, a date or just selling something to earn a living - usually you are selling yourself so you need to believe in yourself!

I'm not down playing the art of being a salesperson here, not by a long stretch. It is another skill all together to be able to sell something you don't have a passion for or more to the point, don't have a passion for on any given day and having to do it day in day out. 

I'll leave that to the experts.